Gonzaga moves up to No. 2 seed in latest NCAA Tournament Bracketology

Bulldogs moved up in ESPN's latest bracketology update

Prognosticators' preseason outlook on the Gonzaga Bulldogs remained consistent for essentially the first month of the college basketball season.

But after rattling off a five-game win streak with victories over UCLA and USC, along with help from upsets across the country, the Zags (7-1) have moved up in notable rankings and polls. They jumped into the top 10 of the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time this season, checking in at No. 7 following the win over the Trojans in Las Vegas. As such, bracketologists have begun to take notice of Gonzaga's recent success when forecasting how the 2024 NCAA Tournament will pan out.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi moved the Bulldogs up from the 3-seed line to the 2-seed in his latest Bracketology update released Tuesday. Should that prediction hold, the Bulldogs would play their first and second-round games in the Spokane Arena as one of the top eight teams in the West Region. Lunardi's hypothetical bracket would pit them in a first-round matchup against South Dakota State, which would need to win the Summit League postseason tournament to earn an automatic bid.

Lunardi has Arizona, Houston, Purdue and Kansas occupying the 1-seed lines in the West, East, Midwest and South Regions, respectively. The Big 12's Cougars and Jayhawks moved up from the 2-seed line, with Marquette and UConn being bumped down after each suffered a loss last week. The defending champions lost narrowly on the road to the Jayhawks, while the Golden Eagles fell to Wisconsin.

Gonzaga's Mark Few on Pac-12 collapse: 'Everybody across the whole scope of college athletics is really disappointed'

The Trojans (5-3) fell to the 9-seed line following the loss in the Legends of Basketball Las Vegas Invitational. The outlook could improve with freshman guard Bronny James being cleared to participate in basketball activities last week, though it's unclear as to when he'll make his collegiate debut and how much he'll play right away. If he returns by the time Pac-12 play begins in January, he could serve an impactful role in some capacity by the time postseason action rolls around.

Kentucky, which hosts Gonzaga on Feb. 10, dropped to the 7-seed line following a loss to UNC Wilmington at home last Saturday. The Wildcats (6-2), ranked 43rd in the NET Rankings, could improve their resume against North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic on Dec. 16 before entering SEC play. After Illinois State on Dec. 29, they'll only play two more games against teams ranked outside the top 100 in KenPom — both matchups against Vanderbilt (Feb. 6 and March 6).

San Diego State fell to the 6-seed line after a loss on the road to Grand Canyon, 79-73. Four days after narrowly escaping UC San Diego on a buzzer-beater, the Aztecs (7-2) shot 40.3% from the field and trailed by as many as 13 points late in the second half. Brian Dutcher's program has opportunities against UC Irvine, Saint Katherine and Stanford before visiting Spokane to face the Bulldogs on Dec. 29.

Gonzaga is the only representative of the West Coast Conference in the latest Bracketology, as Saint Mary's (4-5) is on the outside looking in following losses to Weber State, San Diego State, Xavier, Utah and Boise State since Nov. 12. The Gaels will have a chance to salvage its resume against Colorado State on Saturday, though it's appearing more likely that a WCC title will be the only way Randy Bennett's program gets into the Big Dance.

Meanwhile, an old conference foe continues to ascend in the college basketball rankings — BYU, now a Big 12 member, is on the 4-seed line. The Cougars (8-0) sit atop the NET Rankings and come in at No. 6 in KenPom. Picked to finish 13th in the conference, an NCAA Tournament berth would certainly exceed all preseason expectations for Mark Pope's team.

If Lunardi's projections come to fruition, Gonzaga will have played five teams that qualify for the 2024 NCAA Tournament, all in nonconference action.

Watch: Gonzaga's Ben Gregg plays 'Name That Teammate'